musings about life as a late-start artist

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Here’s a snapshot of a couple of my students at the local art and craft store working on a landscape painting. I love seeing a person gain confidence through some creative activity! And that thought spun off into this: what do artists like to collect? What captivates a person (especially someone involved with creating images) to obtain another’s work?

My other part-time job is painting instructor at one of the local arts and crafts stores. I had a student a few nights ago who, in the course of conversation, said that people who have nothing give of themselves (or words to that effect). Her statement struck me into considering something else.

A few days before that class, I volunteered to help serve lunch at the community kitchen. I chopped fruit, then served up the resultant fruit salad. I didn’t look at the people I was serving, mainly because I wanted the fruit salad to land on tray and not the counter or the floor. But I was also thinking of my Mexican grandmother who counseled to do what needed to be done and don’t look at who you’re helping – that is, don’t judge – and don’t worry about who’s watching you (don’t tally up brownie points). And anyway, I felt I had nothing to give but my time, which is why I was there.

Something happened to me on the inside while just doing what needed to be done. Years ago, I wrote a kind of credo that stated I had found my wealth in no thing. Nothing. What do I really have?

Just about every artist I’ve ever known has a day job. Mine is part-time instructor in Art History and Art appreciation plus one art history course online. Last semester, it seemed that I spent most of my time – in and out of the classroom – making sure that everything worked which brings me to technology. Last year, I heard the term “digital immigrant” for the first time; it describes those folks born during the baby boom and earlier who aren’t fluent in digital literacy. Until rather recently, I was digi-phobic; I saw the world around me change but was reluctant to change with it. Then I started teaching lecture classes and so much depended on my having some fluency that I realized I needed to learn more than just some minor word processing. It seemed overwhelming until I remembered two things: first, take small bites and second, I reminded myself “If I don’t know, I’ll find out.” There’s so much information available on the Internet, it’s a great time to be alive!

I’ve always been a fairly quiet person. One on one meetings always felt more genuine, but it helped to know that individual rather well already. True, as a college instructor I’d meet a new crop of faces every semester, yet outside that setting I wasn’t very comfortable. As I’ve gotten older, it’s become imperative to reach out more often…how else could I assert myself as an artist in the community? Well, here’s a big help, both in making my presence known and for getting me to talk to people: the city of Paducah is hosting Meet the Artists 2017 in the historic City Hall building on Thursday, June 15 from 4:30 – 8:30 pm. Looking forward to meeting and greeting!

I’ve loved writing for a long while but painting always wins out; maybe there’s something about telling a story without using the written word. When I worked on this piece, I knew only that I wanted to relay my view of the pond we share with our neighbors. It was late fall when I worked on this canvas; the pond was half frozen and some of the invasive vegetation was locked in ice while the stuff near the shore was still thriving. As I painted, I thought of people suffering from some terminal and/or degenerative illness and those close to them who can only watch helplessly…like the vegetation in the pond, the leaves near the shore are vibrant but related to the fading leaves near the center of the water body. The softened shadows and reflections add to the uncertainty of the watch.